WEST LOS ANGELES Community Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS ACTIVITY LOG COMMUNITY MAPS COMMUNITY PLAN I. Introduction II. Function of the Community Plan III. Land Use Policies and Programs IV. Coordination Opportunities for Public Agencies V. Urban Design Appendix A www.lacity.org/PLN (General Plans) A Part of the General Plan - City of Los Angeles WEST LOS ANGELES ACTIVITY LOG ADOPTION DATE PLAN CPC FILE NO. COUNCIL FILE NO. July 27, 1999 West Los Angeles Community Plan Update 97-0048 CPU 98-2024 Jan. 17, 1997 West Los Angeles Transportation Improvement 96-0220 SP 96-0156 Mitigation Program Specific Plan Nov. 4, 1992 Sepulveda Corridor Specific Plan 91-0488 SP 91-2205; 92-0885 Nov. 17, 1981 Century City North Specific Plan 28436 ZC/HD 80-1250 S1 Nov. 17, 1981 Century City South Specific Plan 24960 74-4757 ADOPTION DATE AMENDMENT CPC FILE NO. COUNCIL FILE Dec. 10, 1997 Westwood/Pico Neighborhood Overlay District 92-0039 SUD 92-1785 92-0041 HD 92-0042 ZC Sept. 7, 2016 Mobility Plan 2035 Update CPC-2013-910-GPA-SPCA-MSC 15-0719 WEST LOS ANGELES Community Plan Chapter I INTRODUCTION COMMUNITY BACKGROUND PLAN AREA The West Los Angeles Community Plan area is located in the western portion of the City of Los Angeles. It is generally bounded by Centinela Avenue on the west, Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard on the north, National Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, and Exposition Boulevard on the south, and Durango Avenue, Robertson Boulevard, and Canfield Avenue on the east. It is surrounded by the communities of Westwood, Brentwood-Pacific Palisades, Palms - Mar Vista - Del Rey, West Adams-Baldwin Hills-Leimert, and Wilshire; and by the Cities of Culver City, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills, and the County of Los Angeles. The majority of the Community Plan area consists of low rolling hills and flat plains, and contains approximately 4,565 acres, which is 1.74 percent of the land in the City of Los Angeles. Low Density, single-family development comprises a majority of the residential land use in the Community. A mix of multiple-family development includes apartments and condominiums at varying densities and building types (duplexes, small, medium and large complexes and some high rise structures). Commercial land use consists primarily of strip development on major arterials such as Wilshire, Santa Monica, Pico, Sawtelle, and Westwood Boulevards. The majority of commercial facilities are either small-scale and free standing or mini-mall type buildings designed to primarily serve local neighborhoods. The Century City Shopping Center and the Westside Pavilion are major shopping centers that attract customers from West Los Angeles and neighboring communities. The former is part of a Regional Center that also contains high rise office buildings, a major entertainment center and two large hotels. Most of the community’s industrial land use is located between Sepulveda Boulevard and Cotner Avenue, and west of Sepulveda Boulevard in the vicinity of Olympic, Exposition and Pico Boulevards. This development provides an employment base consisting of small, medium and large manufacturing businesses, wholesale / retail distribution outlets, and storage operations. WEST LOS ANGELES I-1 A civic center providing governmental functions is located in the vicinity of Santa Monica Boulevard west of the San Diego (405) Freeway. This center provides administrative and community services for the greater West Los Angeles area and includes a County Courts building, library, post office, police station, and senior center. There are several specific plans regulating land use development in the community. These include: (1) Century City North Specific Plan for the retail, office, and entertainment functions in Century City, (2) Century City South Specific Plan for multi-family homes, office tower, hotel and Fox Studios, and (3) West Los Angeles Transportation Improvement and Mitigation Specific plan, and (4) Sepulveda Corridor Specific Plan in the industrially designated area. COMMUNITY The State of California requires citizen participation in the preparation of the PARTICIPATION General Plan. Government Code Section 65351 reads “During the preparation or amendment of the General Plan, the planning agency shall provide opportunities for involvement of citizens, public agencies, public utility companies, and civic, education, and other community groups, through public hearings and any other means the city or county deems appropriate”. Community participation occurred through focus group meetings, a public workshop, an open house and a public hearing. Community members assisted in identifying major issues and formulating the land use policies and objectives contained in the West Los Angeles Community Plan. COMMUNITY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES The following summarizes the most significant planning and land use issues and opportunities which were identified in the West Los Angeles Community. RESIDENTIAL Issues C Need to maintain the low density character of single family neighborhoods and avoid encroachment from other uses, commercial off-street parking, or spillover traffic. C Preservation of residential neighborhoods and provision of more affordable housing and child care facilities. C Lack of transition in scale, density and character between multiple housing and adjacent single family neighborhoods. C Inadequate transition between commercial and industrial uses and single and multi-family areas. C Lack of adequate parking, usable open space and recreational facilities in multiple-family housing. C Non-conforming residential units in areas zoned and designated for industrial land use. WEST LOS ANGELES I-2 C Need to coordinate new development with the availability of public infrastructure. Opportunities C A diverse community that is socially and economically vibrant with unique architectural and historic characteristics, and having a mild climate with ocean breezes. C Proximity to cultural and intellectual resources such as museums, theaters and educational institutions, as well as recreational and ocean amenities, and the Los Angeles (LAX) and Santa Monica airports. C Access to major freeways and proximity to employment centers in downtown Los Angeles and Century City. C Potential for mixed-use development along Santa Monica, Wilshire, and Sawtelle Boulevards, major commercial corridors. COMMERCIAL Issues C Lack of cohesiveness and continuity of complementary uses along commercial frontages. C Unsightly strip commercial development with poor visual identity, lack of parking and convenient access and oriented to automobile traffic rather than neighborhood pedestrian use. C Proliferation of out-of-scale signs including billboards, wall signs, and flashing signs. C Unsightliness of some new construction due to a lack of landscaping, and unimaginative architectural quality. C New commercial development incompatible with existing buildings in terms of architectural design, bulk and building heights. C Lack of street scape improvements including street furniture and street trees to create a more pedestrian and neighborhood friendly environment. Opportunities C Existing Specific Plans for Century City South and North that regulate land uses by vehicle trip generation, and provide traffic mitigation. C Proposed Santa Monica Boulevard improvements to enhance the visual environment, and foster pedestrian activities. C Through the Westwood - Pico Neighborhood Overlay District, establishment of appropriate neighborhood and pedestrian-oriented land uses, building intensity, lot coverage, setbacks, landscaping, signage controls, design and parking requirements for Westwood Boulevard and Pico Boulevard in the vicinity of the Westside Pavilion. WEST LOS ANGELES I-3 C Potential for mixed-use on Santa Monica, Wilshire, and Sawtelle Boulevards to encourage pedestrian activity, reduce traffic circulation and congestion, invigorate commercial areas and increase their viability. C A shuttle bus system to connect major activity centers (Century City, Westside Pavilion, West Los Angeles Civic Center, V.A. Hospital, Federal Building, UCLA). C Preservation of existing neighborhood commercial uses (general goods stores, ethnic restaurants, plant nurseries, resident hotels, etc.) along Sawtelle Boulevard between Olympic Boulevard and Ohio Avenue. INDUSTRIAL Issues C Utilization of industrially designated land for commercial and retail purposes. C Inadequate buffering and landscaping in industrial areas where residential development is located, especially south of Exposition Boulevard. C Non-conforming residential units in the area zoned and designated for industrial land use. C Aesthetic improvement of industrially-designated major arteries (e.g., along Sepulveda Boulevard). Opportunities C Preservation of all land presently zoned and designated for industrial use to provide an employment base. C Development of standards and Plan policies to visually improve industrial areas. C Encouragement of entertainment or advanced technology uses in the industrially designated areas. TRANSPORTATION Issues C Severe traffic congestion along major transportation corridors and intersections with most streets functioning at full capacity. C Inadequate transportation linkages between residential areas and commercial, retail and recreation facilities. C Inadequate transit feeder services from residential neighborhoods to major transportation corridors and activity centers. C Inadequate automobile alternatives such as rail, bus service and streets or paths which encourage biking and walking. C Spillover